


That Day

by celestialcupid



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, snk - Fandom
Genre: Levi is dead, M/M, charcter death, domestic AU, im sorry, lilly and noah are adopted, ocs Noah and lilly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-03-24 15:36:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3774043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialcupid/pseuds/celestialcupid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every month Erwin brings his two adoptive children to the place where Levi is remembered. Every month the children go without knowing who it is they are trying to remember.</p>
<p>Written by tumblr user zoeyslayerlovereruri</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zoeyslayerlovereruri.tumblr.com](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=zoeyslayerlovereruri.tumblr.com).



> So this was completely zoeyslayerlovereruri's idea and I'm just posting this here because I think she needs so much more recognition

It was that day again. Every month this day came and every month brought me mixed feelings. The sun was shining high in the sky and there was a gentle wind blowing. I looked up to see the crystal blue sky stretching far past the walls in the distance.

My sister and I climbed the small hill following our dad. At the top is a big tree with a small stone laying under it, weathered by the long time it sat out season after brutal season. As we get to the top my sister notices the wild growing flowers and giggles as she starts to pick them. I look up at my dad who is already standing in front of the small stone.  
The lettering has faded on the stone, but I can easily recite the words etched on it. _Levi Smith Keep Soaring_

Dad has deep circles under his eyes like he didn’t get any sleep. He’s always been caring and his laugh has a way of filing a room, but every month he gets quiet. He begins to carry himself like he’s always fatigued. I could tell by that alone, what the man who was our other dad must of meant to him. Though I have almost no memories of him I know Dad has a great love for him and misses him every day. I walk up to him and grab his hand. He shakes his head to look at me, as if I pulled him out of a deep thought.

“Dad?”

He looks at me “What is it Noah?” he asks, a smile crinkling his eyes.

“What was he like? Our other dad?” I looked down at the stone, trying to form an image of the man I hardly knew.

Lilly and I were so small when they took us in. I was 5 at the time and Lilly was only barely a year old so I never got the chance to get to know him. I know Dad worked with him in the Survey Corps and that his friends, Mike and Hanji, said he had a bit of a temper. They would laugh, telling stories about how he would scare some new recruits or yell at someone he shouldn’t.

There’s a picture of us in the living room, though. It was shortly after they took us in and Dad was holding me on his lap. He had the biggest grin, he face wasn’t quite as wrinkled then, and Levi sat next to him holding Lilly in his arms. He also had a big smile across his face although not as big as Erwin’s. Dad said that’s the biggest smile he’s ever seen him wear and that he knew that was the happiest time of his life.

Dad looked a little shocked at my question and pain flashed across his face. I knew he didn’t like talking about him. He always looked torn up when people mentioned his name and I hated seeing Dad that way.

So, I never asked about him.  
I wanted to know, but the time never really presented itself. Dad got down on his knees in front of me and placed his hands on my shoulders.

“Im sorry,” he said, squinting as he tried to keep tears at bay. “I was being selfish. I try not to think about him because I wanted to keeping moving forward for the sake of you kids. I never realized I made you feel like you didn’t know him.” Dad called Lilly over, who was still playing in the small patch of wild flowers.

“Where do I even start?” he says with a sigh sitting down in the shade next to the stone.

“How did you meet him?” I ask, pulling Lilly down next to me.

“The same place we met you guys. Your father was raised in the underground and was causing a bit of disturbance,” Dad smiled fondly. “But once I’d seen him in action I knew I needed him for the Survey Corps. So, I brought him to the surface.” there was a light in his eyes that I’d never seen before.

“He was that good?” I say with a big smile.

“The best! Everyone called him Humanity’s Strongest soldier, you know. He taught himself how to do everything without any official training. It was amazing watching him. I never met a finer soldier.” a genuine, sad smile crossed his face.

I felt pride swell within me. Every kid imagines their parents as heroes, but mine truly were. They both fought for the good of humanity, regardless of the risks. I moved in a little bit closer waiting for Dad to continue.

“Your father saved so many lives outside of the walls. With his quick reflexes, it was truly a blow to humankind to lose him.” His face goes soft as he stares at the ground.

“I heard he was short! Is that true?” I look up, expectantly.

A booming laugh came out of him and he looked up at the sky, as if laughing with Levi. “I take it you heard that from Hanji or Mike, huh? Yeah, I guess you could say that. He only came to about here on me,” he said as he placed a flat hand out in front of him a little below his shoulders. “But don’t let that fool you, Levi could take on anyone or anything.”

A few moments passed before he spoke again.

“He was… one of the kindest people you could ever meet.”

“I heard he had a bit of a temper.” I say looking up at him.

Again, Dad looked up to the sky as if sharing a private joke. “He did, but he was also honest. He had a greater goal in mind for humanity and he wasn’t going to let anything get in his way. He was also very protective of his soldiers. He saved them without a second thought and made sure they never died in vein even causing him to hurt his leg at one point. He was very kind even though he didn’t like to show it, but if you got the chance to know him, you’d know he cared.” Dad sighed deeply, trying to keep his emotions in check.

“He was also the person who nursed me back to health when I lost my arm, and never left my bedside. He treated me almost as a child. I remember one of the first things I heard when I got up was a lecture about being reckless and needing to be more careful. It was hard to hear between his sobs. After he got that out of his system, he insisted on being the one to do everything. For the first day or two he fed me and always made sure I had water. He would also growl at anyone who happened to walk in as I was sleeping, including the doctors. When I was awake, he would keep me company and try to keep me up to date on all the missions. Of course, I knew he kept out anything negative because he didn’t want to add to my stress,” Dad paused. “He always stuck by me, even if he didn’t understand my orders, he never lost faith in me.”

“I wish he was still here.” I say hugging Lilly a little tighter, looking into Dad’s bright blue eyes.

“You need to know he loved you both. In fact, it was his decision to adopt you two.”

“Really?” I asked, glancing at Lilly who was looking at Dad happily.

“Yes, we talked about wanting to start a family. I started to suggest some adoption places close to us, but he said we should adopt from the underground. He grew up down there and wanted to save any kids from having to grow up with the life he had to. So, he wanted to bring you guys to the surface so you could enjoy a life he never had.”

I thought about what Dad said, how Levi was the kindest person if you bothered to get to know him. As I gazed up at the sky there was no doubt in my mind that even in the afterlife, his father was watching over him. He gave me the one gift that he wanted all his life. Maybe he couldn’t see the endless stretch of blue wherever he was, but he surely could see us looking up at him. It never seemed to be more beautiful and warm as it did in that moment. As the blue light began to fade into pinks and reds, I wish he were still here with us.

“So what happened to him?” I asked, still gazing up.

Dad got quiet and it took him a moment to form any words. “Lilly was still a baby and I couldn’t fight due to my arm. The expositions were slowly getting more casualties so Levi insisted I sit the next one out and rest while he looked after the Survey Corps. Of course, I refused but, he wouldn’t take no for an answer…” He took a deep breath. “…and then he just never came back.”

Tears began to form in his eyes, but more than the tears, there was so much love in Dad’s eyes as he looked at me and Lilly. Dad brought his hand up to my face and gently ruffled my hair and pinched Lilly’s cheek.

“I love you both,” he says as he stands up and pats the grass off his legs. “We should get going.”

I stand up and crouch for Lilly to get up on my back. She gladly does and giggles when she can see over my head. I turn to the old stone and smile down at it.

“Thank you Dad, for everything. I promise to live up to your name and not waste this life you’ve given me. I miss you a-and I wish you were still with us. I know that you’re watching over us b-but I love you.” tears rushed down my face and I shifted Lilly so that I could wipe them away.

“Love you too, Daddy.” Lilly sobs, handing me the wild flowers she picked earlier to place on the small grave.

Dad looked down at us, fighting tears of his own. “You guys go on ahead. I just need a minute alone with your father.” he voice cracked and he looked up to the top of the tree.

I nod and with Lilly still on my back, I begin to walk down the small hill. I turn to look back at Dad and see him standing in front of the stone. His lips are moving and tears are flowing down his cheeks when he looks up to the sky and smiles so wide and laughs.

We wait at the bottom of the hill for him, a breeze passes and I catch myself staring at the sky again. Thinking of all the memories he and Dad must of shared. All the moments we will miss out on. He wont be there for our birthdays or Christmas. We’ll never walk hand in hand as a family and I’ll never see his smile again or even hear his voice. Those memories live on only in Dad now. Staring up at the sky, I send my love to the man I never really got to meet because at least I know that he loves me. He loved both me and Lilly even though he was only with us for a short time.

I am proud to be a part of his family.


End file.
